Incredible

If you’ve never played The Incredible Machine, this is a perfect time to pick it up. This “Mega Pack” is several games in one package, comprising almost all of the Incredible Machine gaming released to date. For $10, you get these venerable old games in a Windows XP-playable format, free of DRM. GOG really has the best online game purchasing system, and a great library of fantastic games. (Come on, Lucasarts, let GOG sell your masterpieces too!)

If you’ve ever had an inkling to play with Rube Goldberg devices or physics based games, TIM stands as a masterwork in the field. The puzzle part of the game is worth the price alone, but the sandbox is the part that I’ll be introducing my little girl to. She loves World of Goo, and this should be a blast for her. (And hey, it’s even educational!) This, WoG and Crayon Physics are the trifecta that make me happy as a gamer who managed to grow up, hoping to help my little ones find happiness in games. They don’t make ‘em like this often, and when they do, they really should be applauded.

5 Responses

So The Impossible Machine replaces the holy trinity with the happy trifecta?

Harhar, sorry, could not resist. I hope Good Old Games (GOG) becomes a shining example for the market.

You know, Steam always needs its launcher, often to start a launcher that launches the game… sigh. It is quite weird when you play a simple puzzle game like Osmos that asks you to connect to the steam online community upon startup.

Given so much parental care and love for her gaming habits, I wonder if your little girl won’t evolve into a reckless shooter player and player killer in MMOs, just out of spite,,,

*chuckle*
Longasc, if anything, my little girl will wind up an extreme sports enthusiast. She gets her adventuresome spirit from her dear mother. I’d be surprised if she bothered with games at all once she gets a bit more mobile and self-sufficient. I’m OK with that. :)

Glad you guys like TIM! It really is a shining example of great game design. It takes a core idea and polishes the gameplay around it. (And in fact, later versions of the game that tried to give the game a marquee character or lots of trappings lost some of the charm of the game. Overcomplex UI detracted in places too.) Would that more devs had such a focus on the GAMEPLAY over the bling.